Transfer sheet and method of making same



June 19, 1934. H. Q, R, CROWDER 1,963,778

TRANSFER SHEET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 1, 1931 2 Sheets-Sheet l A TTORNE Y.

June 19, 1934. Q, R CROWDER 1,963,778

TRANSFER SHEET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAME Filed June 1, 1931 2Sheets-Sheet 2 A TTORNE Y.

Patented June 1c, 1934 1,963,778

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE TRANSFER SIEET AND METHOD OF MAKING SAMEHavy Q. R. Crowder, Chicago, Ill. Application June 1, 1931, Serial No.541,469

8 Claims. (01. 41-33) g The present invention relatesto a transfer sheetmentary views of a device constructed according adapted particularly forthe use of commercial to my invention used with and without a floatartists in securing proper backgrounds and shadrespectively; I ings andindicating different textures of ma- Fig. 8 is a fragmentary perspectiveview look- 5 terial, etc. ing in a direction perpendicular to the plane.8,,8 63

My invention has for one of its objects the proin Fig. 1; vision of anovel method by which my improved Fig. 9 is a view similar to Fig. 8showing a transfer sheet can be made. One form of the straight-edgedwiper barin place of the wiper bar transfer sheet which may be made bythis invenshown in Fig. 8;

10 tion is disclosed in my Patent No. 1,820,867, Fig. 10 illustrates amodified form of wiper bar '65 granted August 25, 1931, on Transfersheet and which I find practical for most purposes; and method of makingsame. The process is also dis- Figs. 11 and 12 illustrate the manner inwhich closed in a general way in that patent. This apmy improved sheetis used in practice. plication, however, is concerned with the processThe transfer sheet which I wish to form is 15 of making the transfersheet and also has to do one which can be used to transfer any suitablewith an improved form of transfer sheet not distype of marking bodily toa sheet of drawings or closed in my aforementioned patent. the like andwhich sheet comprises only three ele- Another object of this inventionresides in ments. These three elements are wax, ink and the new form oftransfer sheet which has cera transparent layer of fiexible material ofgreater 2o tain advantages over the transfer sheet disclosed tensilestrength than wax, or the equivalents of in my prior application, butwhich embodies these elements. Thesheet comprises a thin layer some ofthe principles involved in that transfer of wax which carries anysuitable ink marksheet. In other words, the transfer sheet disings andthe inked markings are covered over closed in this application is aspecific improvebyalayer of shellac, lacquer or the like. My prin- 25ment over that disclosed inmy co-pending applicipal feature is toprovide a thin transparent so cation. sheet or film as a body to holdthe adhesive mate- A very important object of this invention is to rialsuch as wax and the ink in proper relation distribute the wax whichforms a portion of the with each other to permit the same to be handledtransfer sheet, uniformly over the entire surface readily, the materialforming the sheet or film,

30 of the sheet and over only one surface of the sheet. however, notpreventing the scraping or cutting If the wax is permitted to form alayer on the away of undesired portions thereof after it has oppositeside of the sheet than that intended, been applied, and which istransparent so as the result is that I am unable to practice my not toobstruct portions of the drawing. I will method and for reasons whichwill appear preshereafter refer to the material being used as lacently.quer although it is to be understood that the term Other objects of thisinvention will appear is intended to include all equivalent materialshereafter as the description thereof proceeds, the such as shellac andother film forming comnovel features, combinations and arrangementspounds and transparent binders for holding the being clearly set forthin the appended claims. wax and ink. Thus the markings of ink or the Inthe drawingslike are protected both by the wax layer and the Fig. 1 is aperspective view of an apparatus layer of flexible transparent materialsuch as lacused for arryin ut my invention h wing a quer, so that themarkings cannot be smeared. transfe Sh in the process of formation; Inaccordance with a preferred method of prac- Fig.2 is a cross sectionthrough my transfer ticing my invention, I first take a piece of very 45S eet Show the arrangement of the d eren thin tissue paper which shouldbe fairly porous layers thereof during 0119 Stage of s fOTmatiOn, andalso quite transparent, as well as being relthe cross Sec being greatlymagnified; atively tough. The tissue paper in the drawings Fig. 3illustrates an enlarged cross sectional is represented by the referencenumeral 1. This V ew through y transfer sheet as sold on the is firstmoistened and laid on the flat japanned 50 market; surface of the plate2, or on any relatively smooth Fig. 4 illustrates a preliminary step inthe forsurface. A rubber squeegee 3 having the metal mation of mytransfer sheet; portion 4 is used for the purpose of pressing the Fig. 5is an isometric view of the wiper bar sheet of paper firmly against thesmooth surface used in carrying out my process; of the plate 2 and forremoving the excess wa- 55 Figs. 6 and 7 are cross sectional, fragterfrom beneath the paper and from the surface thereof. When the paper hasbeen spread smoothly over the surface of the plate, the same ispermitted to dry, but before being completely dry the surface thereof iscoated with a layer of glue 4' and the plate and coated sheet of paperare then set aside until the paper and glue have dried.

The glue which I have found most desirable for the purpose of thisinvention consists of a mixture of glycerin, gum arabic and soft soap.These substances are mixed in approximately the following proportions:

Per cent by weight Glycerin 30 Gum arabic 35 Soft soap 35 This glue hasa very uniform-consistency and is free from small lumps, which, ofcourse, are very undesirable in a glue to be used in carrying out myinvention. At the same time, such a glue will flow uniformly over thesurface upon which it is applied and will not leave small openings onthe surface, as often occur with other forms of glue. For instance,little glue bubbles will not form and later break to expose a portion ofthe sheet of paper therebeneath.

After the glue has been prepared, I add thereto enough distilled waterto reduce the glue to the desired consistency for spreading on thesurface of the sheet of paper. The glue is thereafter spread on thesurface of the paper in a very thin coat or film either by a brush or bymeans of a spray or any other desired means.

It takes approximately one hour for the glue to dry after being appliedto the paper, and when I refer to the glue drying, I do not in any senseintend to convey the idea that the glue forms a hard surface on thepaper, because it does not. The glue, on the other hand, is relativelypliable and after the glue is dried the sheet of paper can be foldedwithout cracking the glue, for the glue forms a very very thin layer andthetissue paper is very thin. Therefore the bending of the paper doesnot have a tendency to distort either the paper or the glue. After theglue is dry I spray or brush lacquer over the surface of the glue toform a thin layer 32 upon which the inked markings are impressed.

When the lacquer is dry, the sheet of paper is stripped from the plate 2and put through the printing press which prints on the surface of thelacquer the desired configurations which are to be transferred to aselected surface. In the present instance the configuration assumes theform of straight parallel lines 5, shown in dotted lines in Fig. 1, inview of the fact that in that figure the lines are on the exposed sideof the paper. It will be understood, however, that any suitable type ofprinting may be placed on the surface of the lacquer.

The next and perhaps most important step of my process resides in theforming of a thin layer of wax over the surface of the printing whichappears on the lacquer, as well as covering any exposed portions of thelacquer. This process in general consists of making a bath of the waxand flowing the sheet of material on the top of the wax with the printedside thereof facing the surface of the wax. Means is provided forheating the bath of wax and it is kept at a very fluid consistency sothat only a thin layer of the wax remains on the sheet of paper when thesame is withdrawn therefrom. This sheet of wax dries substantially asquickly as the same is withdrawn from the bath and this enables one tostack the finished sheets, one upon the other.

The apparatus for applying the wax is best illustrated in Figs. 1, 6 and8. An electric heater 6, having the electric cord 7 leading therefrom toa suitable source of electrical energy, is used for vention is notlimited to using this form of wax,

but this particular compound has been found quite desirable, as it isrelatively uniform in consistency and flows readily over the surface ofthe sheet.

Near one end of the pan 8 there is arranged a wiper bar 10 rotatablysupported by the brackets 11 on the opposite sides of the pan. Thiswiper bar is substantially square in cross section and has each of thelongitudinal edges thereof provided with a series of notches designatedby the reference numerals 12, 13, 14 and 15. These notches aresubstantially V-shaped and are of different depths and widths. Thepurpose of these notches will appear hereinafter. A spring 16 secured bymeans of the rivets 17 to the inside vertical side of the pan 8, isadapted to engage the adjacent fiat side of the wiper bar 10 and preventits rotation under ordinary circumstances. However, the bar may begrasped and rotated by hand to present any one of the desired edges atthe operative position for accomplishing the result hereinafter to bemore clearly pointed out.

I also place a rectangular float 18 on the surface of the wax. vThisfloat can readily be constructed of thin pieces of wood or can be con-'structed in any other manner desired. Even metal with hollow chambersmay be used for this purpose. I also provide a rest bar 19 which ismerely laid across the pan and supported by the upper opposite edgesthereof, as quite clearly illustrated in Fig. 1.

I next select the notched edge of the bar 10 which I desire to use inthis process and I will assume that in Fig. 1 I will use the edge 12 forthis purpose. This edge should therefore be positioned at the positionillustrated therefor in Fig. 1, as this is the only operative edge ofthe bar. The sheet of paper with the glue, lacquer and the inkedmarkings thereon is held with the ink facing downward. I support one end20 of thepaper 1 by the bar 19 while I hold the other end 21 of thepaper in my hands. The paper is therefore supported at opposite endsthereof. but not in the middle and this middle portion is permitted todrop down into engagement with the surface of the wax, beginning withthat end of the paper being held in my hands. I next draw the paper overthe surface of the wax and then over the surface of the bar, the waxclinging to the surface of the paper and being carried into engagementwith the scraping edge 12 of the bar, which scraping edge removes acertain percentage of the wax and leaves only the desired thickness ofthe wax the surface of the wax for too great a period of hold this barin place, although such a means could be used, if desired.

The reason for providing the float is quite obvious from an inspectionof Figs. 6 and 7 in which I have shown the bath with and without thefloat. If the float lS provided, as in Fig. 6, the edge of the pap r isheld out of contact withthe wax, or if there is wax on the surface ofthe float, the same is not of sufficient depth to run over the edge ofthe sheet and onto the upper surface thereof. It is very important thatthe upper surface of the sheet does not have wax thereon, at least overthat portion of the sheet which contains the markings. Therefore, if thefloat were not used, the edge of the sheet might sink below the surfaceof the wax, as seen in Fig. '7, and portions of the wax, such as 22, mayrun over the upper surface of the sheet and form a coating of wax, whichwill prevent the penetration of water through the sheet for a purpose tobe pointed out hereinafter in connection with the use of the sheet.Therefore, by using the float, I am enabled to keep the upper surface ofthe sheet free from wax and thereby produce a better transfer sheet.

The notched bar 10.performs a very important part in the process, forthis notched bar insures a uniform distribution of the wax over thesurface of the sheet and can be used as a gauge for gauging thethickness of the wax and also prevents any portions of the sheet fromhaving less than the required amount of wax thereon. In Fig. 8 I haveshown a notched bar and in Fig. 9 I have shown a bar without notches andhaving a straight scraping edge thereon. If the sheet of paper is drawnover the edge of the bar 23 having the straight edge 24 thereon, a greatproportion of the wax is scraped off the surface of the sheet andordinarily with a skilled operator and with other conditions just right,it is possible to form a uniform layer on the sheet as the paper isdrawn over the edge 24, but occasionally the sheet being prepared ispressed against the edge 24 with a greater pressure at certain pointsthan at others. The result is that at certain points such as at 25, onlya thin layer of wax is provided or in a great many instances,substantially no wax will adhere to the surface of the sheet. Thisexposes a portion of the inked markings, or in many instances, does notprovide a sufficient quantity of wax over the inked markings to enableone to use the sheet for the purpose intended. This will appearhereinafter in the description of the manner of using the sheet.

With the notched bar 10, however, the notches will permit a certainquantity of the wax to pass the scraping edge and only the portions ofthe sheet which contact directly with the points can have the waxscraped therefrom. Therefore, as the sheet is drawn over the edge of thebar, there are a series of raised portions of melted wax which quicklyspread and unite with each other to form a uniform film or sheet of waxover the surfaces of the inked markings and lacquer. By using notches ofdifferent depths I am enabled to vary the thickness of the sheet of waxwhich is formed over the inked markings.

Instead of using a bar such as illustrated in Figs. 1, 5 and 8, I mayuse instead a square bar about which there is wound a wire 27, the

adjacent turns of the wire being in abutting relationship to each other.This is a very easy way to form notches of uniform depths throughout theentire length of the bar although it does not provide a bar havingnotches of different depths. Ordinarily, in carrying out my process,however, it is not necessary to have grooves of different depths.

In using the type of sheet described in my aforementioned application,it is necessary to moisten the-back of the sheet when using the same.This hasbeen found to be objectionable in some instances and therefore Ihave devised a means for preparing a sheet of material which does nothave to be wetted in order to use the same.

I take the sheet of paper produced in the manner which has just beendescribed, lay the same with the waxed surface down and there'- afterapply water to the upper surface of the sheet to soften the layer ofglue. I then strip the paper from the sheet of lacquer so that all thatremains is a sheet comprising layers of wax and lacquer with themarkings carried therebetween. While it is not absolutely necessary towash the remaining portions of the glue from the surface of the lacquer,I prefer to do this before placing the same on the market. If desired,and the paper is sufficiently transparent, it may be left on thetransfer sheet, in which case it takes the place of the layer of lacquerwith or without the layer of glue. The sheet is then ready for theartist who is to use the same. Therefore when thesheet is burnished downas hereinafter described, the burnishing does no\ cause the ink tosmear.

This sheet is applied in substantially the same I manner as describedfor the sheet disclosed in my aforementioned application. However, it isunnecessary for the artist to use water to soften the glue, as in theuse of the former sheet. The sheet of wax, or portions thereof, may belaid on the surface and an additional sheet 31 of plain paper,transparent or otherwise, may be (but need not be) laid over the sheetof wax with the wax surface thereof against the surface 30 and the backof the paper 31 pressed against the sheet, with a bone stylus 28 or thelike over and throughout a predetermined area of the surface 30indicated by the large letter E in Figs. 11 and 12. This causes the waxto adhere to the surface 30 and the paper 31 can be removed withoutwetting the same. The artist then merely tears or cuts away the portionsof the sheet which do not adhere to the surface 30 and then trims orscrapes away portions of the wax (with its superimposed layer or layers)for shading or scrapes away those portions which adhere to the paper andwhich extend beyond the area desired to be covered, as in myaforementioned patent.

In using my process to form a transfer sheet which has a tissue paperbacking such as described in my aforementioned patent, I do not use thelacquer, but instead I print directly on the surface of the glue andthen coat the sheet with wax as described in connection with thepreparation of the sheet shown in Fig. 3. When using the tissue paperbacking, it is not necessary that a heavy coating of wax be applied tothe sheet as where the tissue paper backing is not used. It will beunderstood that my process is substantially the same for the formationof either sheet described but in forming the sheet shown in Fig. 3, itis desirableto add a layer of lacquer which acts as a binder to hold thesheet together after it is formed. I Wish to have it understood that thelacquer, while acting as a binder and as a protecting coating for theink, is not sufliciently thick to prevent the tearof wax 9, a layer oflacquer 32, and inked markings 5 arranged between the two layers,themarkings being visible'through the layer'of lacquer, and the markingsand the layer of lacquer being adhered to the drawing or other surfaceto which the background isapplied, through the inter mediation of thewax which provides an adhesive operative solely by relatively lightpressure and which can be readily removed without marring the surface.(See Fig. 12).

Due to the fact that the ink is entirely closed within aprotecting coverof wax and lacquer, it is possible for me to use dry or moist ink incarrying out my process but even a dry ink has some tendency to smear ifexposed. The ink is transferred bodily and does not rely upon thecharacteristics of the ink for its usefulness in being transferred tothe desired surface. In former methods, ink has been mixed with wax andapplied to a sheet in a printing process, but the wax in those processeswas merely mixed with the ink to keep the same moist and to prevent thesame from drying out or to render the ink moist under the application ofheat so that when the sheet is used the ink itself may be impressed uponthe surface to which the same is to be transferred. In other words, withformer devices it has been necessary to maintain the ink in a moiststate so that it could be transferred. With applicants device, however,the transfer is accomplished by means of the wax, and the ink,therefore, may be dry ink instead of the ordinary non-drying ink.

Obviously other changes may be made in the particular construction andarrangement of parts without departing from the spirit of this inventionor from the scope of the appended claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire toobtain by Letters Patent is:

l. The method of preparing a transfer sheet comprising the steps ofmoistening a sheet of relatively thin paper, pressing it down firmly ona smooth surface, applying a coating of glue thereto while said sheet iswet, applying lacquer to'the surface of said glue, applying markings tothe surface of said lacquer after it is dry, and covering said lacquerand markings with a compound of wax and paraffin.

2. The method of preparing a transfer sheet comprising the steps ofmoistening a sheet of relatively thin paper, pressing it down firmly ona smooth surface, applying a coating of glue thereto, applying lacquerto said glue, applying markings to the surface of said lacquer after itis dry, and covering said glue and markings with a compound of wax andparaffin.

3. A transfer sheet comprising a layer of lacquer, an exposed layer ofwax, and markings carried between said layers, said markings beingprotected by both layers and visible through the layer of lacquer.

4. The method of preparing a transfer sheet comprising the steps ofmoistening a sheet of relatively thin paper, pressing the same firmlydown on a smooth surface, applying a coating of glue thereto while saidsheet is wet, applying a thin coating of liquid to the surface of saidglue which liquid is of a, character which dries in a thin film havingappreciable tenacity, applying markings to the surface of said film, andcovering the film and markings with a compound of wax and paraffin, saidfilm having greater tensile strength than said paraffin.

5. The method of forming a transfer sheet which comprises the steps ofapplying a coating of glue to a sheet of material on one side thereof,

forming a th n film of lacquer on the surface of said glue, applying inkmarkings, to the surface of said lacquer after the latter has dried, andcovering the markings and exposed portions of the lacquer with a coatingof wax.

6. A sheet of the class described comprising a thin transparent layer ofwax having one exposed surface, a continuous exposed layer of thintransparent friable material of greater tensile strength than said waxto reenforce said layer of wax, and markings carried by said combinedlayerstherebetween, said markings being visible from both sides of thesheet and being protected by both layers.

'7. In a transfer adapted to provide an artists background, thecombination with a drawing surface to be covered, of a layer of slightlyadhesive material adhered to a predetermined area of said surface by theapplication of pressure but readily removable therefrom without marringthe surface, a superimposed continuous layer of transparent flexiblematerial of greater tensile strength than the adhesive materialsubstantially coterminous with said area and adhered to said surfacethrough the intermediation of the adhesive material, and markings of inkor the like between said layers in direct contact with each layer andprotected by both layers, said transfer being thereby renderedsubstantially integral with said surface and said markings being visiblethereon through the layer of transparent mate-' rial.

8. In a transfer adapted to provide an artist's background, thecombination with a drawing surface to be covered, of a layer ofsolidified wax adhered to a predetermined area of said surface by theapplication of pressure but readily removable therefrom without marringthe surface, a superimposed continuous layer of transparent flexiblematerial of greater tensile strength than the solidified waxsubstantially co-terminous with said area and adhered to said surfacethrough the intermediation of the solidified wax, and markings of ink orthe like between said layers in direct contact with the wax andprotected by both layers, said transfer being thereby renderedsubstantially integral with said surface and said markings being visiblethereon through the layer of transparent material.

HAVY Q. R. CHOWDER.

